Oaklin Express

In the middle of lockdown, I began to look for a way that a boutique consultancy like Oaklin can differentiate itself and offer something unique to its clients. Amidst the unprecedented times of a global pandemic, many businesses are facing urgent problems but have financial constraints, making it hard to invest in traditional consulting services. I thought that, as many of them try to navigate this uncertain world, they will require a new kind of support that is flexible, low cost, and low commitment, but still brings the high value and impact of top-tier consulting.

I discussed this idea with one of our Partners, Dominic Hurndall, who shared his experience of clients often having to prepare a high-quality board presentation at very short notice, and wishing they could hire a consultancy without a lengthy procurement process. It was clear that the typically long procurement cycle associated with the costs of traditional consulting support presented a real barrier to hiring external help.
Consequently, I went to our first Innovation Forum to present my idea of a new service offering, ‘Oaklin Express’, which would be easy to access, and limited in time and cost. By fixing a piece of work to just three weeks and two people, the commercials can be kept very simple and the team can mobilise extremely quickly. I felt this would apply perfectly during the uncertain times of the current pandemic.

Following my presentation to Oaklin’s Innovation Forum , I worked with an experienced consultant, Nishant Parekh, to clearly define not only the scope and timeline but also the services we could include in a three-week timeframe. This was agreed with our leadership team, enabling us to prepare Oaklin Express for launch.
We then worked with our graphic design and marketing teams to prepare an official logo and new webpage that could showcase this new offering. Being able to see my idea come to life in this way was a very rewarding moment, and I hope that we will be able to help even more of our clients with their urgent challenges.